The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Boy named after HMS submarine Andrew
Sub-dub for Andrew after the famous film star submarine
In partnership with:
Overview
This film clip shows the remarkable HMS submarine Andrew and the boy whose parents decided to name him in tribute to it. HMS Andrew cruises towards Devonport while Andrew visits HMS Raleigh and becomes a member of the Preservation Trust in an attempt to save the submarine.
The submarine starred in the BAFTA-nominated 1950 film “Morning Departure” as HMS Trojan starring John Mills and Richard Attenborough with Michael Caine in his first feature film debut. It appeared again in the 1959 film “On the Beach” as the fictional nuclear submarine USS Sawfish. HMS Andrew is also a part of submarine history. It was the oldest submarine of the Amphion class in service and the last UK submarine to carry a deck gun. It was also the last submarine designed during the Second World War remaining in service and was the first submarine to cross the Atlantic submerged using the 'snort' or submarine snorkel in May 1953. It was scrapped in Plymouth in 1977, only the deck gun survived.
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